It is Mr. Royce’s intention to create a visual labyrinth, a contemplative visual source that allows the spiritual and mental space to heal, grieve, and celebrate our life and the life of those who have passed before us. Mr. Royce goes to great lengths to ensure the visual sacredness of each cremation urn and keepsake box; they are unmistakably intended for rite, ritual and memorial. He does this by handcrafting, from beginning to end, each work of art, one piece at a time. Mr. Royce does not use any mass production techniques, believing this would undermine the cremation urn’s individual character. These are truly unique pieces of art.
Handcrafted, artistic statutes and vessels were used as memorials and symbols of status as early as the Egypt’s grand imperial age, 1550-1069 B.C. According to the Smithsonian Institute, young Egyptians during this period would begin preparing for the next world as soon as they could afford to and display their statutes and vessels openly in their homes so that visitors could admire their acquisitions and the quality of their preparations.
The utilization of cremation and cremation urns most likely began around 3000 BC in Europe and the Near East. For those ancient cultures, cremation represented the rebirth of the soul. During the late Stone Age, cremation began to spread across northern Europe, as evidenced by decorative pottery urns uncovered in western Russia among the Slavic peoples. With the advent of the Bronze age-2500 to 1000 BC-cremation moved into the British Isles and into what is now Spain and Portugal. Cemeteries for cremation developed in Hungary and northern Italy, spreading to northern Europe and even Ireland. In the Mycenaean Age-circa 1000 BC-cremation became an integral part of the elaborate Grecian burial custom. In fact, it became the dominant mode of disposition by the time of Homer in 800 BC. But early Christian and Jewish cultures rejected it, and by 400 AD, earth burial ruled the western world.
Modern cremation began in Europe in 1874 with the invention of the first crematorium. It soon came to America with the first crematorium being built in Washington, Pennsylvania in 1876. Two main factors in the early movement towards cremation were the Protestant clergy who desired to reform burial practices and the medical profession concerned with health conditions around early cemeteries.
The practice of cremation in America has quietly grown since the inception of the crematorium and growing numbers of crematoriums have been built across the United States. A more recent factor that has lead to the increasing acceptance and practice of cremation is the clarification of religious doctrine that allows cremation as a part of an acceptable funerary ritual. For example, in 1969 the Catholic Church clarified its position on cremation. The official Catechism of the Catholic Church says that "cremation is permitted so long as it is not chosen as a denial of faith in the resurrection of the body."
Today cremations, and the use of cremation urns, are commonly utilized in funerary rites and rituals for people from diverse religious and cultural backgrounds across the United States. It is significant to note that in this country the funeral or memorial service attended by loved ones and community members is still the standard of practice regardless of background. One of the functions of the urn is to bring the grief of loss and fear of death from the intangible realm into tangibility, and allow the living, to process these complex human emotions freeing them to embrace their connections to their loved ones. People often use cremation urns along side photos and mementos of the deceased during the funeral or memorial as a way to provide closure with the lasting memory of the living loved one.
The need for a place of remembrance of the deceased is another theme that crosses religious and cultural practices. The cremation urn as a memorial has filled that need for family and loved ones in a variety of ways. After the funeral or memorial, family members and loved ones have the remains stored in the cremation urn as a lasting memorial. If the loved one or family members decide that they wish to spread the ashes, the cremation urn is kept as a memorial. Other times the remains are kept in a temporary urn and after the ashes are spread the mementos are kept in a special keepsake box. Other times cremation urns are stored in columbaria at the cemetery or buried in a plot.
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Past work by Bradley Royce:
 "Bug Screen" cut colored paper 6 1/2 feet by 38 1/2 inches
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 "Bug and Moon" cut colored paper 7 1/2 feet X 15 inches
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"Fish Screen" cut colored paper 9 1/2 feet X 40 inches
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| This work is not for sale, however more detailed photos and information on this work is available at The Opposable Thumb Art Gallery. |
Copyright © 2004 by Bradley Royce Funerary Urns.